On Tuesday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry refuted claims about the evacuation of personnel from its embassy in Venezuela amid rising pressure from the United States on President Nicolás Maduro’s administration.

This statement came in response to an Associated Press article that referenced an unnamed European intelligence official, who suggested that Moscow began evacuating the families of its diplomats from Venezuela the previous Friday.

In a statement on X, the Foreign Ministry labeled the report as inaccurate, though it did not clarify whether the families of diplomats had actually been moved. The ministry warned, “Stay vigilant and don’t fall for Western provocations!”

According to the AP article, Russian officials were said to have evaluated the situation in Venezuela in a “very grim light” as the U.S. escalated its military operations and threats directed at Caracas.

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov communicated with his Venezuelan counterpart Yván Gil, conveying what the ministry termed as Moscow’s “full backing” of Maduro’s regime and its “serious concerns” regarding the increasing U.S. interventions in the Caribbean Sea.

Gil criticized the recent U.S. attacks on sanctioned vessels, describing them as “acts of piracy in violation of international law.”

Since September, U.S. forces have conducted strikes against boats that the Trump Administration accused of being involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. However, U.S. officials have not publicly disclosed the evidence for these allegations.

Reports indicate that over 100 individuals have died in these operations, including many fishermen, according to relatives of the victims and officials.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry expressed that Washington’s “growing escalatory actions” might lead to “far-reaching consequences for the region” and pose risks to international shipping. It reaffirmed Moscow’s support for Venezuela’s government.